


Reunion

by caduceusads



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-18 07:40:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2340464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caduceusads/pseuds/caduceusads
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow-up drabble thing to Saving Private Gairhard (level 50 Carpenter quest). Spoilers for the CRP questline. Gairhard visits Beatin at the guild.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reunion

As the day began to draw to a close and the carpenters of the guild began to pack their work away and leave, Beatin paced about impatiently. Apparently, Gairhard had sent the message that he would “see him soon” – but how soon was that? This afternoon? Tonight? Tomorrow? Next week?

He came to a stop at last, folding his arms and surveying the near-empty guild workshop. He knew how impatient he was being, but after that earlier scare, he was desperate to see Gairhard for himself and confirm that his dear friend was all right. Not that he didn’t trust his protégé’s report of what had transpired, of course, but this was one time he did not want to wait around for Gairhard to show his face.

With a sigh, he admitted to himself that this was a little ridiculous. Checking that everything was in order in the workshop, he made his way to the door to leave, but as he did so, he heard a familiar trudge of boots on the deck outside, and a smile found its way to his lips at the sound. He hurried forwards, and sure enough, in the foyer there stood his friend. He looked a little worse for wear – his boots and clothes filthy, his face rather drawn and tired… but his expression still triumphant. Beatin stopped, and though Gairhard knew he was staring, the carpenter’s eyes were shrouded by his glasses, and Gairhard hesitated, unsure what to do.

“You,” Beatin said, his tone scolding. “You are an utter, _utter_ fool, you know that? I don’t know if I should embrace you or smack you around the ears with the flat side of a saw.”

Gairhard opened his mouth to speak, suddenly fearing that they would end up arguing as they had done last time he’d seen Beatin – he had returned to the guild with warm feelings, ready to thank Beatin profoundly for making sure he was delivered with a new bow, but if the other man was still acting like this –

“However,” Beatin continued, causing Gairhard to close his mouth again, “I am as well. Truly. Perhaps if I had been a little more reasonable and in control of myself, we would have resolved our last dispute more calmly, and you… none of this would…”

“Beatin,” Gairhard cut in, raising a hand. His friend did have a tendency to let all of his thoughts and feelings spill out suddenly, and he was doing it again. “Shh.” He smiled. “It’s fine. I know. Neither of us acted well. But look, I’m here, and I’m fine, and it’s all thanks to you and that student of yours.”

Beatin nodded, and sighed deeply. “I… Right. You’re right.” His gaze wandered to the replacement for Gairhard’s old maple longbow, the crab bow that he now carried with him. The one that had saved his life. What Gairhard said was true. Though he felt the weight of guilt in his stomach for the things he had done – allowing himself to lose his temper and control of his emotions, resulting in the injury of his hand that forced him to sit in the workshop, wracked with worry as he thought of what might be happening to his friend out in the Twelveswood… In the end, things had turned out well. He looked back to Gairhard’s face, and allowed a smile of relief to spread across his own.

Upon seeing that, Gairhard, too, found himself breaking into a wide grin. He opened his arms, and cocked his head to the side slightly. “With that in mind, what’ll it be? A smack, or a hug?”

Beatin laughed, and stepped forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Gairhard’s shoulders in a close embrace. As Gairhard squeezed him in return, Beatin rested his chin on the top of his friend’s head.

“I’m so very glad you’re all right,” he said after a moment, drawing back to study Gairhard’s face again.

“Of course,” Gairhard replied, his tone confident. “I mean, were it not for this bow, perhaps I might have sustained some more serious injuries – but nothing I haven’t handled before, eh?” He smiled, but out of the corner of his eye, he had noticed that one of Beatin’s hands was free of its usual glove. Glancing down, he saw that it had been bandaged roughly.

“Something happened to you, though?” he questioned, reaching out to brush his fingers over the back of Beatin’s hand. “Really, I thought you were well past the stage of slipping up with your own saw.”

“Ah,” Beatin said, hurriedly dropping his hand to his side. “That’s, well…”

Gairhard raised an eyebrow, and simply looked at him. Beatin wasn’t sure what to say – he had already hesitated too long to brush it off as nothing. Though they hadn’t spent much time together of late, he and Gairhard had been incredibly close, and the other man knew him well. If he tried to lie, Gairhard would know. He might not say anything about it, but he would most definitely know. Beatin was a very poor liar, anyhow. Best to tell the truth.

“Earlier on,” he began, after drawing a deep breath, “I was visited by a Serpent officer, who gave to me the remains of your bow, the one I made for you all those years ago…  They did not know what had happened to you, and truthfully, I feared the worst.”

He met Gairhard’s gaze, and the other man looked at him with a slight frown. Sensing that he hadn’t quite put two and two together, Beatin continued his explanation.

“I… really didn’t know what to do with myself. It’s embarrassing, but I was so overcome that I… threw a fit, and in doing so, I cut my hand open…” He grimaced, and looked away. “That is the real reason why I did not craft you a new bow myself.”

“Beatin…” Gairhard uttered, and then silence fell between them for a few moments. He felt mildly surprised, but his friend had always been prone to worrying and catastrophising, and if an official had approached him in such a manner that implied Gairhard could have perished…

He gave Beatin a comforting smile, and reached up to place a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m touched that you still care so much for me,” he said. “But you need to be more careful.”

“I – I know,” Beatin replied, looking embarrassed. “But – really, can you imagine how awful it would have been if our last meeting… was that awful, childish argument the other day…” he trailed off, and Gairhard nodded in agreement.

“I know our lives have lead us down different paths, and I would leave my job for nothing,” he continued. “But there’s still so much we have to do together… The thought that everything might have ended there was… just too much for me.”

“I understand,” Gairhard said quietly. “It’s all right. Look, I’ve learnt the error of my ways. When this bow wears out, you can be sure I’ll be running to you for a new one.”

Beatin chuckled. “And I would be most honoured to make it for you.”

The two gazed at each other for a moment, smiling affectionately.

“Well then,” Gairhard said. “About all those things we need to do together. What say we start with a drink or two at the Canopy? It’s on me.”

“I’d love to,” Beatin replied.


End file.
